updated 08:05 pm EST, Thu February 5, 2009

Doodle Kids iPhone app

Nine-year-old Lim Ding Wen of Singapore has become one of the youngest iPhone developers, producing a application named Doodle Kids, according to Reuters. The painting program allows users to draw random shapes and sizes, in random colors, using a finger for input. Any creation can be saved as a screen capture or erased by shaking the iPhone or iPod touch. The app has already achieved over 4000 downloads from the App Store.

Lim mentions that he wrote the application for his three-year-old and five-year-old sisters who like to draw. He started using computer at the age of two, eventually developing fluency in six programming languages and completing roughly 20 programming projects.

His father, Lim Thye Chean, is the chief technology officer of a local firm and also writes iPhone applications. "Every evening we check the statistics emailed to us (by iTunes) to see who has more downloads," the father said.

Lim Ding currently is working on another iPhone application, a science fiction game titled Invader Wars.

I love hearing about young developers doing things like this. When given the proper tools, kids really can accomplish amazing things! I like also that his parents support and push him to achieve what he wants to do. Youngsters really need to have supportive parents first and foremost that are involved. For the parents who use the TV as an unqualified baby sitter and whine when it shows the kid the wrong thing (then subsequently blame the TV) then wonder why their kid struggles in school, let this show you that your kid is smarter than that for which you give them credit!